Our Place in the Universe

What Our Ancestors Saw

You’re Alone In A Ship On The Ocean• Look up…look way up • Now which way is home ?

What Our Ancestors Saw

• For thousands of years humans have used the sky as a source of information.– Time of day

– Date

– Weather

– Position on earth

– Tides

– When to plant

– When to harvest

• Farmers took their cues from changes in the “celestial bodies”

• Sailors navigated the vast voyages by navigating by the stars

• Political and religious leaders often made important decisions based on observations of the sky.

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Ancient Cultures

• Many cultures based large parts of their societies on the sky.

• Astrologers were important people in many societies.

• People believed that their destinies could be told in the stars.

So…what is going on up there?

• Many different cultures had their own accounts about how the celestrial bodies were formed.– Hindu…seven wise men … Pleiades– Native North Americans … Ursa Major– Greeks … Orion the Hunter

Let’s Take A Look At A Few

Orion The Hunter

Orion The Hunter

Ursa Major - The Bear

Ursa Major - The Bear

Ursa Minor

Ursa Minor